Chapter Eight

I'm bribing you all again. I'm sorry. I've been so busy lately!

Warning: Fiction.

His fingers moved nimbly to unbutton my top from where they were closest. I placed a hand over his, squeezing his hand tightly.
“Stop,” I whispered almost inaudibly. It was so hard to say that single, small word.
“What do you mean ‘stop’?”
“I don’t think we should do this,” I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t think that us doing this is a good idea. I mean… I want more than just sex from this. I’m not that kind of person.”
He blinked and started blankly at me, not moving, his fingers still entangled in my shirt.
“You’re serious?” He searched my expression for an answer. “This has never happened before… You want more?”
“I want to really get to know the person you are, not just tv-interview-celebrity Anderson Cooper. I want emotions, ideas, conversations and dreams. I don’t want to be thrown away. I don’t want to be left broken and used.”
“You don’t think I do this all the time, do you? I don’t just pick up girls and seduce them,” he sounded defensive and grew quiet before continuing. “There’s something about you. Something familiar, something exhilarating and amazing,” his voice was soft. He kissed me on the forehead and leaned against my lightly, his face resting against my own. “Alright, what do you need from me?”
“Come home with me please,” I said meekly. I didn’t want to sound demanding or needy.
I curled up against him, tucked tightly into the cavity beneath his chin and the curve of his shoulders.
“Why there? Why do you want me to come home with you?”
He wrapped his arms around me, his hands locked together in the small of my back, holding me close like one might hold a frightened child. I relaxed in his embrace and leaned my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes.
“I’ll have more control there. I have no control with you here. I can’t just let you seduce me so easily in a city where you know all the tricks. You’re going to have to work outside your element.”
“I had a feeling. You’re not going to make this easy for me,” I could hear the smile on his face as he spoke, his voice vibrating in my ear.
He breathed in deeply, smelling my hair. He held me, squeezing me gently into his chest. I could smell the cologne he was wearing, a subtle smell of citrus. I fingered the fabric of his shirt, running my hands along his shoulder blade and back. I felt a small shiver run through his body.